Interlocked insulation for rail-joints.



` B. G.. BRAINB & a. G. fnnaag. INTERLOKUKED INSULATION FOB BlAIL JOUETS.

urmommxrmsn ngo. 23,391?, l

` @856mm Mal'. 30, 1915.

8 SHEETS-SHEET l.

B.G.BRAINE M. GQ DELPOX'.4 INTERLOGKED INSULATION POR EAU.. JOINTS.

APPLICATION FILED DBG. Z3, 1gb?.

Patented Mar. 30

.sums-SHEET a.

"and State of INTERLOCKIED INSULATION FOR RAIL-JOINTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 3o, i913.

Application iled December 23, 1914. Serial No. 878,798.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BANoRorfr G. BRAINE and JAMES G. DELFOX, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at N ewYork, county of New York and State of New York, and Flushing, in the county of Queens N ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Interlocked Insulation for Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrelates to sectionalor vdivided insulation for rail joints, and has for y sulating turbing or affecting the remaining good-lor" unworn insulation. Also,

" struction is of such a character that a mlinil its object to provide novel and practical means for maintaining the several pieces of insulation in properinsulating relation kto the rails and splices. Accordingly, the present invention aims to simplify and improve the 'interlocking means for holding vthe inpieces or plates against relative longitudinal movement, while not interfering with the ready removal and replacing A of worn-out pieces of insulation without dis'- the improved coninuin amountof insulating material is en iployedto the best advantage -both electrically and mechanically. t

` Another desirable object of the invention is to'provide novel means for locking the base/insulation in position, and to impart thereto/a pronounced resilient characteristic whichffwill/permit it to vreadily yield lat- ,erally when edgewise stress is placed there- /y f This action permits the splice bars to be on by the drawing in of the splice bars.

properly fitted onto the rails without binding` oninterference lation.r I

Other practical objects .and advantages -wi'll appear to 'those/familiar withv the art as the details of the invention are better "understood, andthe Vlatter-consists in the novel construction, coii'ibination,` andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully pointed out, illustrated, and claimed.

Though susceptible of a. vvariety of struc-v tural modificationaand also applicable to different types of splices, c and practical embodiment ings, in which# l Figure l is aperspective view of a rail jointembodyingthe present invention and pf the joint shown from aviigid base ins'ulcable to insulated rtain preferred of the'inventionareV illustrated inthe accompanying draivillustrating the three-piece insulation which includes a head section, a rail flange section, and a base section or 'oase plate. Fig.

.2 is a detail perspective view of rail-head and rail-fiange sections of insulation, constructed in accordance with the `present invention, and shown in their interlocking relation toeach other and `to the joint bolts. Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view at the center interlocking relation between the insulating end post and the insulating base plate.` r Fig. 4-is a Vdetail in perspective of vthe insulating base pjlate. and the insulating end ost, the parts i clearly expose thekeeper slot. in the base plate which' receives the locking .tenon on the end` post. Fi 5 is a sideelevaton cfa modification oft i on the insulating plates.`to

Y Epreventlongitudinal movement thereof.

ig. 6 :is a pering the improvementsvfor use in a one-end insulating rail joint.

cross sectional view, at the center of the joint, illustrating a` the baseV insulation for the rails lis in the form of an insulating cuff fitting over' the rail flange, .but having the same interlocking' relation to the insulating end post asthe single insulating Ibase plate 1, 3 and lloffthe drawings. Fig. 8 is a-bottom plan view of the cull form of base insulation Vshowing the locking tenonof the insulating end post engaged therewith..

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings. l

In carrying forward the present invention, the novel. means .employed for interlocking e invention, `illustrating.. a` different arrangement of thelockingtongues modification whereinI in Fig. y1*,'illustratingl the eing shown slightly separate -to more 4.spective view ofniiothermodication adapt- 7'is a partial shown in Figs.-

the separnte pieces of insulation are appli- .p

rail joints of different design, and hence said. meansl are available for use with any -of the divers forms Aof ysplices which' .connect the rails and extend aci'ossthe joint bet or all fof` its applications, sesses the saine utility same functions.

A 4practical yillustration of the invention Ween tliem'so/that in any the invention posand subserves vthe appears in Figs. l, 2, 3 and 4 of the draw- The rail joint shown, there-inincludes ings. the usual rails R, the joint bars or splic'esl.

and the usual joint bolts 2, which latter are insulated from the joint bars by any approvedbolt insulating expedients, such as the insulating bushings 3 and washers 4. The insulation for this joint comprises, in addition to the bolt insulation, an insulating end post 5 between the rail ends, an insulating head plate 6,' and base insulation which preferably includes a separate insulating flange plate 7 overlyingthe rail flange and a separate insulating base plate 8 underlying the rail base. ln this sectional insulation,.the head plate is interposed between the under side of the rail head and the upper edge of the joint bar, the said llange plate between the foot member 9 of the joint bar and the upper side of the rail llange, and the insulating base plate between the rail base and the rail supporting base member l0 of the joint bar. Accordingly, in a complete joint, of the kind shown, the base insulation comprises three separate `pieces or sections, namely, the twol flange plates .at opposite sides of the rail, and the single base plate 8 underlying the rail base and substantially coextensive in area therewith. By thus dividing the insulation, the separate sections thereof are separately removable and replaceable so that worn out or damaged pieces may be readily renewed without discarding the remaining good or unworn insulation.

As indicated, a primary and distinctive feature of the invention resides in providing simple and practical interlocking means for holding the separate insulating plates against 'relative longitudinal displacement or creeping. These interlocking means for the side insulation G-T include A'the joint bolts 2 and-locking elements provided on the insulating plates. For example, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it is usual, in the divided liber type of insulated rail joint, to employ a separate head plate or section 6 beneath the head of each rail, while the-base insulation may extend throughout the entire length of the joint, and thesel pieces of insulation .are each provided with the locking elements referred to. That is to say, in the, form of the invention referred to, each insulating head plate ti is provided at or adjacent its inner end with a single depending locking projection or tongue ll. adapted to extend into the space. between the center pair of jointbolts and to have a shoulder engagement at one side of one of these bolts. This construction and arrangement of parts disposes the. locking projections or tongues 1l for both bead plates 6 within the same space between the. center pair of joint bolts. .lhus, each plate is prevented from longitudinal movement in one direction by engagement with one of the joint b olts, and from longitudinal movement in the opposite direction by engagement with the adjacent end of the other head plate.

'fication that may Listener Corresponding means are provided to prevent relative longitudinal movement of the lower insulating plate 7 Without any direct or indirect engagement between such plate and either of. the, head plates 6. This may be accomplished by forming each insulating plate 7 with upwardly extending terminal locking projections or tongues 12, which are located at opposite extremities of the plate 7 and lie alongside of the rail web so as to have a shoulder engagement with the terminal joint bolts. This construction and arrangement of the locking projections of tongues l2v disposes these' elements in opposite and reversed relation, outside of the bolts adjacent the ends of the joint, thereby securely locking each insulating plate 7 against longitudinal movement in either direction.

Provision is made for locking in place the insulating base plate S by a separable interlock with the insulating end post 5. This sulating end post at its llower edge with a projecting locking tenon 13 which extends below the rail base and engages in a keeper .slot 14 piercing the base plate 8 at substandrawn into place there may be instances inwhich the side edges of the insulating base plate rigidly Contact with the closed ends a: of the crotch y of the joint bars, with the result of resisting a full inward movement for the joint bars, and consequently causing the bars to bind andtheir lit to be disturbed.

This condition is satisfactorily` met by providiug the baseplate with the longitudinal spring-bow at the center thereof, said bow permitting the base plate. to readily yield and contract laterally so that the joint bars or splices may at all times be tightly drawn te a proper fit without interference from the insulating base plate.

-By way of illustrating the range of modibe resorted to in carrying out the.' present invention, there is shown in Fig. 5of the drawings, a tion wherein each insulating head plate 6 is provided with a centrally disposed down wardly projecting locking tongue 16 which enters vinto the space between a pair of the joint bolts extending through the rail with form et construe! Vinterlock is effected by constructing the inroo 'iro

which the said plate is associated, while the` lower piece or section of insulation, herein designated the insulating iiange plate, 1s also shown as provided with a centrally located upwardly projecting locking tongue 17 which enters into the space between the central pair of joint bolts. In this form of construction, the insulating plates 6 and 7 are prevented from longitudinal movement 1n both directions by a shoulder engagement with the joint bolts, and without vthe interposition of direct or indirect locking means therebetween. Also, it will?. be understood that the improvements contemplated by the present invention are not to be limited to insulated rail joints wherein` full insulation 1s provided for both rails. inventionis applicable to rail joints of the so-called one end insulated type. To illustrate the application of the invention to that type of joint, there is shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, a modiiication wherein the insulating head plate G at each side of the joint is only titted to one rail of the joint, while the otherrail of the joint has fitted thereto .j a metal head-plate 18 of corresponding shape `wand dimensions. In this modification, the head plates 6 and 1S are shown provided with the same character and disposition of Hocking tongues lla as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, while the lower section or plate of insulation 7 may be provided with sepab *"rat'ef upwardly projecting locking tongues' 119 which respectively project into the spaces between a pair of joint bolts through each of the rails. The functional effect of this construction and arrangement of parts disposed keeper is the same as already noted, namely to prevent longitudinal movement in either direction of theginsulation plates.

A further modification of the invention that may be resorted to is shown in Figs. 7 and 8v of the drawings and consists in the employment of base insulation consisting of insulating cuits 20 embracing the rail iianges, and formed at the transverse center of the base portions'2l`thereo with transversely notches 22 to receive the downwardly projecting locking tenon 13 on the insulating end post. This form of construction is another example ofthe means contemplated by the present invention for locking the base insulation against movement by a separable interlock between the same and the insulating end post.

@ther modifications, and other adaptations of the invention may obviously be resorted to, within the vscope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

We claim: j j 1. An insulatedi'ail joint including secf'tionalsplice-liar -insulation comprising an upper head plate' having a depending lock- In other words, the l ing tongue engaging between joint bolts, and a lower flange plate having an upstandmg locking tongue engaging a joint bolt.

An insulated rail joint including sectional splice-bar insulation comprising an upper head plate provided with a depending locking tongue extending into the space between the central joint bolts, and a separate flange plate having a shoulder engagement lwith'the terminal joint bolts.

3. An insulated rail joint including sectional splice-bar insulation comprising a head plate having a depending locking tongue extending into the space between the central joint bolts, and a separate iiange plate provided at its locking tongues having a shoulder engagement with the terminal joint bolts.

4. An insulated rail joint including sectional splice bar insulation comprising separate head plates, for the separate rails, each having a locking tongue projecting into the sainespace between a pairof joint bolts, and a separate flange plate provided at its ends with upwardly projecting locking tongues overlapping the ei'id joint bolts.

An insulated rail joint including sectional splice-bar insulation comprising separate head' plates, for the separate rails, cach having a locking tongue projecting into the space between the centraljoint olts, and a separate flange plate provided at its ends with upwardly projecting locking tongues overlapping the end joint bolts.

6. An insulated rail joint including sectional splice-bar insulation comprising separate head plates for the separate rails ar.- ranged in longitudinal alineinent and provided at their inner ends with depending locking tongues projecting into the space between the central pair oi joint bolts, and a separate flange plate having a shoulder engagement with the bolts at opposite ends or" the joint.

7. An insulated rail joint including sectional splice-bar insulation comprising a pair of upper head plates for the separate rails and provided ends with depending locking tongues projecting into the space'between the central pan' of joint bolts, and a lower iiange plate provided at its ends with upwardly projecting loc-king tongues overlapping the end joint bolts.

8. -An insulated rail joint including scctional insulation comprising insulatinghead plates having locking projections interlocking .with the joint bolts, separate flange platesarranged below the joint bolts and interlocking therewith, a separate insulating base plate underlying the rail base, and an fnsulating end post separably interlocked with the base plate. j Y

9. An insulated rail joint including sectional insulation comprising insulating head ends With upstanding at their inner adjacent' plates interlocked with the joint bolts, separate base insulation including a section of insulation underlying the rail base and pro' vided with a transversely disposed keeper slot therein, and an insulating end post hav.- ing a locking tenon projecting into said keeper slot.

10. An insulated raii joint including sectional insulation comprising separate plates for the fishing spaces, a base plate provided with a central keeper slot, and an insulating end post having a bottom locking tenon separably interlocking with the slot of the base plate.

11. An insulated rail joint including a base plate unit'provided with a spring por tion to permit of yielding thereof under V12. An insulated rail joint including a base plate unit provided with a longitudinally extending spring portion to permit of yielding thereof under pressure.

13. An insulated rail joint including a base plate unit provided withv a longitudinally extending groove forming a springbow to permit of yielding thereof under pressure.

14. An insulated rail joint including in combination with the rails and opposite rail base-supporting splices, an insulating base plate unit provided at an intermediate point with a longitudinally extending spring-bow disposed between the base members of said splices.

15. An insulated rail joint including sectional splice bar insulation comprising an' upper head plate having a depending locking tongue engaging between joint bo1ts,'

BANoRorT e. BRAINE.

JAMES e. DELFoX.

' Witnesses: l

KATHERINE MCNALLY, BENJA.. WOLHAUrTnR. 

